Objectives 
In this lesson, students will: 
· Locate, reconstruct and identify litter
· Draw conclusions about the cultural origin of the find
· Compose a paragraph 
· Create a mural detailing information gained through the dig

Time Frame 
Two 1-hour sessions

Materials
1. Trash Bags
2. Plastic gloves 
3. Paintbrushes or toothbrushes for removing sand/dirt
4. Spoons or small shovels
5. Paper and pencil for cataloging
6. Butcher paper, glue or tape for assembling artifacts

Procedure
1. Inform students they will be participating in an archeological dig in the schoolyard.  Their mission is to collect litter in the trash bags wearing plastic gloves.  Students will work in cooperative teams during the outdoor exercise.  Assign each team a location in the schoolyard in which to work (playground, parking lot, sidewalk, baseball/football bleachers).
2. Team Roles:  
Excavator-will uncover the artifacts using the spoons/shovels.  This student must be careful not to disturb the position of the artifacts until they are cataloged.
Recorder-will enter data in the excavation log including a descriptive paragraph about the find.
Illustrator-will create a scaled drawing of the artifact
Cleaner-will carefully brush away soil after cataloging and arrange artifacts on the butcher paper.
Overseer-will reconstruct the fragments using glue or tape.  The remaining members of the group could participate in this job.
3. Students work in cooperative groups as they carry out the archaeological dig, exploring the site and discussing the finds.  After the artifacts have been assembled the group should compose a report detailing their conclusions about the cultural origin of the find.
4. Students will then use the butcher paper to create a hall display (Trash Talks) gluing or taping their finds and cataloging the cultural significance of the litter collected.